The ‘Hamilton Hammers’, (MY moniker) Prismind (pronounced Prism-MIND, not ‘Prizz-Mind’) rocked the Rivoli Bar concert section hard with classic cuts from their new record Disciples By Design.

Possibly self-robbed of a sound check because they were so approachable at their merch table and welcomed talking to any and all fans and partially, it seemed, the sound got way louder, way, WAY louder for the other headliner bands as the night continued, I thought they should have been the headliner with the onslaught of Deep Purple-like volumes. Still, the sound was clear and sharp and each instrument was killer.

Prismind needs more room to move, but any stage will have to do, even the small one in the concert section of the bar. The shattering chords of Slaves To The Machine got everyone’s attention, especially mine, as it’s my favourite track; OK, so does the only guy wearing a suit look goofy, head-banging at the front of the speakers? No, no he does not; it’s not often I get to rock out in a tie!

The remainder of the songs from the CD, (OMG! AN ACTUAL JEWEL CASE WITH LINER NOTES! YEA! KEEPING IT REAL!), featured pulse-pounders like Diamond Eye and the mighty, Palace Of The Mighty And The High and metal-march feel Pawns Of The Damned convinced everyone they are a metal force grounded by experience, solid playing and on stage sophistication. Respectful to the other bands on the bill, appreciative of their audience, they were a pleasure to see.

Justin and Mike hammered the rhythm to a ‘Machine’ – like drive tom-tommed with thundering love while Kelly astounded with that technical perfection that causes even the most rabid mosher to stop and look. John hollered into the night, with amazing vocal range and clarity, pleasing all ears with metal screams and memorable harmony.

The lights were blistering, even from an audience point of view, and I was more than pleased to see John and the gang working hard, sweating to the metal and giving their all. In this writer’s view, it’s not metal unless you’re sweating after about 15 seconds of play; this band was working!